"Your apprentice is a bit of a strange one Princess." Angel pointed out, letting out a slow breath as he punched the air, putting his new arm to the test. Small sparks of Chaos danced around his outstretched arm, sparking in the air and causing a small explosion.
"We are rather fond of her strangeness...it comforts us." Luna admitted, taking a sip of her tea as she watched the Beastkin go about a few forms. He currently stood in a horse stance, one arm striking forward as the other pulled back.
The idea behind the movement was rather basic. One was to imagine a rope attached to both hands. When one hand lunged forward, it tugged the rope, pulling the other back.
"She's special to you, that much anyone can see. But her skill is rather impressive all things considered. Makes me wonder what you've been putting her through to advance her so quickly..." he smirked for a moment, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Or what you've been motivating her with." he snarked, causing the Princess to momentarily choke on her tea.
"W-We assure you, we haven't the faintest idea what you mean!" Luna argued. Angel only chuckled, letting out another slow breath, another punch, another explosion. His strength was slowly returning. He hadn't been anywhere near One Hundred Percent during the fighting, but he hadn't had much choice.
Fluttershy had needed him and in that moment he had failed. It was pure luck he wasn't dead. Well, not PURE LUCK, but pretty close to it.
"I'm not one to judge Princess. If it means anything, I think you two are a perfect match. You balance one another in ways I can't see anyone else doing it. She needs you and it seems you need her."
"You sound rather wise for one so young." Luna murmured.
"I'm older than I look...Like that Dragon you two keep around." Angel pointed out as he stood upright, rolling his shoulders one after the other.
"I had no part in the Guardian's growth. He is Celestia's prodigy. His Loyalty to us however...without ever even meeting us before..." Luna lowered her head for a moment, letting out a sigh.
"Well, If what I hear is true...Celestia did raise him. Only makes sense he'd be attached to the two of you. She probably told him stories about you. Heck, my pops had tons of stories about both of you. Mostly pranks and happier times. Sometimes he'd have his dark days and rant, but never into detail..." Angel sat, rubbing the back of his head.
"It is true. Back then Celestia was the butt of many jokes and wonderful pranks...But then Discord's Darkest Day came about...when he murdered Starswirl the Wise." Luna grit her teeth, shaking slightly.
"I didn't mean to bring up memories like that. My apologies Princess." Angel spoke softly, leaning back onto his hands.
"Tis not your fault, it has been on our mind for quite some time now. A Chaotician has logic far different from any other being...But that makes you and your sister special Cases. Even though you were raised by Discord..." Luna rubbed at her chin, another sigh filling the air.
"If it helps at all, Fluttershy was pretty much raised alongside Rainbow Dash by Spitfire. And I was just the little bunny in her arms all the time, sealed away for trying to tear my father from his gilded throne and put an end to his Chaos." Angel chuckled.
"That is one other thing that bothers us...why did you rebel against thine father?" Luna wondered. Angel sighed, leaning forward and hugging his knees.
"Because of my mother." Angel answered instantly. Luna blinked, watching as the Beastkin stood.
"She loved him, with everything she had...She would do anything he asked of her and in the end it got her killed. The bastard didn't even shed a tear for her...Did he even love her? Did she mean anything to him? Or was she just another goddamn tool?!" He roared, chaos spiking around him.
"Master hid his feelings well." Trixie spoke up, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder. Angel paused, looking at the Magian and forcing himself to relax.
"Yea, I guess he did. He really was the only one who knew what was going on in his head."
"Perhaps you are right..." Luna mused, glancing out her window at Discord's statue in the gardens.
"This doesn't really feel like a good idea..." Nyx admitted.
"Pffft, we'll be fine. Applebloom grabbed a bunch of hay and did all the math junk to see where we'd land. Besides, you're at the back, so we'll cushion the fall" Scootaloo argued, before anyone else could argue she had leapt off the little platform they had built in one of Applejack's trees, dragging her friends along down a zip-line.
A cacophony of screams, squeals, and laughter followed as the four friends were swept up in the wonders of gravity and speed. Up until the ride came to a rather abrupt end, and the rope they had decided on snapped.
Sweetie Belle and Nyx were the first to notice, Sweetie Belle throwing her arms around Scootaloo and Nyx grabbing hold of Applebloom. Both 'Magians' squeezed their eyes shut tight as they called to their magic, wrapping it around themselves just before hitting the unforgiving ground below.
"Ow..."
Were they on to him? Had he been found out so quickly? No, it wasn't possible! He had taken every precaution to hide his involvement. Surely Celestia only wanted to speak to him in private. Too many eyes and ears could latch onto valuable information sent by any other means.
"This does give me a chance to retrieve the armor..." he murmured to himself as he paced back and forth, his magic packing what few belongings he had. If Celestia needed to see him in person then it HAD to be something of importance.
"One cannot be too sure...just in case..." he snapped his fingers, triggering a fail safe spell he had put in place upon arriving in Eraville. A signal of sorts for his underlings to blend in and report to him their findings. He had to keep his network open after all.
His luggage trailing behind him, Spell Nexus made his way for the train station.
Gilda raised an eyebrow as a man marched past her, carting luggage within the hold of his magic. Though he wasn't her concern, something felt...off, about him.
It didn't help that he seemed to stare at her in shock as she made her way around him. She didn't have time for idiot Magian's today. Just for one lone Skyborn.
"Oh! H-Hello Gilda..." a gentle voice called out.
Of course she's here... Gilda mumbled to herself, turning and putting on a smile
"Well if it isn't little Shy? I don't suppose you've seen Rainbow have you?" Gilda asked as nicely as possible. Something that caused Fluttershy to pause.
Shit, was I TOO nice? I don't remember bein' a jerk to her...Right, she was Rainbow's girl, I didn't go anywhere near her
"Whoa! Hey, are you one of those Sky Soldiers?" a little boy beside Fluttershy asked excitedly. Gilda glanced down at him, instantly noticing his emerald eyes.
"Tch, that ain't really a little kid's business. I'm here on Official Business and that's all ya need to know" she answered, turning back to Fluttershy.
"She won't go with you Gilda" Fluttershy said softly, though there seemed to be strength in her words. She gave the boy's hand a squeeze and took a shuddering breath
"There's too much here for her that she can't leave behind. She won't even try for the Wonderbolt's anymore because of it. S-So please, just leave and don't come back." Fluttershy finished.
"That's pretty impressive of you Shy, comin' out of yer shell like that. But that ain't for you t' decide. I'll speak with Rainbow Dash and explain to her the situation. If she wants to make sure this dirt back town stays in one piece, she'll join me" Gilda argued, flicking Fluttershy's forehead, she blinked as the boy grabbed her other wrist.
"I couldn't help but notice that rather interesting Necklace you have there miss" He said quietly, his voice seeming a lot deeper than it had a moment ago. Gilda felt a shiver of fear run up her spine, yanking her hand free and taking a step back.
"Look here brat..."
"G? Is that you? Holy shit it is you!" Rainbow's voice called out, the Skyborn slamming into the ground next to them, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
"It's nice to see ya Gilda, sorry I couldn't meet up with you sooner, wasn't really expecting you so soon" she admitted. Gilda chanced a glance at the boy, but he was gone! Fluttershy gripped her skirt, lowering her head.
"Yea, I uh...I wanted to get here as soon as possible. Is there somewhere we can speak in private?" Gilda asked, nudging her head towards Fluttershy. Rainbow raised an eyebrow
"Military junk huh?" She asked, Gilda nodding.
"I-It's okay Rainbow, I-I need to get going anyway..." Fluttershy quickly stammered, her wings kicking to life and carrying her away as she ran past them. Rainbow chewed her lip as if she was going to chase after, but stopped when she glanced back at Gilda.
"So...whats all this about G?" Rainbow asked, crossing her arms. Gilda cleared her throat.
"Not out in the open, Dash." Gilda growled under her breath. Rainbow nodded, leading her towards a large tree in the distance.
Rainbow glanced around, her mana sparking for a moment. She could feel Twilight nearby, but not Scootaloo or Spike. Twilight's magic didn't seem to have it's normal pull, meaning the Magian was probably passed out. With a smirk she flicked the door closed and turned the lock, guiding Gilda to the living room and flopping into Twilight's arm chair.
"Now, what was up with this letter?" she asked. Gilda sighed, taking a seat on the couch nearby.
"I have tons of soldiers ready to raise arms for the cause. But none of them are you Rainbow. There's talk of war on the horizon and I need the best Terra has to offer. I need you Dash" Gilda explained, opening her suitcase and dropping a pile of folders on the table.
Rainbow glanced over a few of them. Most of it seemed like normal peace talks, a few worrying moments here and there, but all seemed fine.
"Nothin' seems that urgent here, besides, I'm a Washout, hardly fit to call myself Weather Captain. I'm not what you need Gilda, you need soldiers, and you've got em" Rainbow shrugged, holding the folders out to her.
"Dash, none of them are YOU! You have the Sonic Rainboom. I'd need that just once, JUST ONCE, and I'd send any enemy that thinks twice about us running home scared! I'm not askin' you to fight or to kill. I just need someone who can lead, who is strong, who has a mind of their own and doesn't need me to explain when they can wipe their damn ass" Gilda argued. Rainbow only chuckled.
"Sounds to me that you just want the Sonic Rainboom and none of your guys have the guts to try. That or they splattered their guts pushing for it" Rainbow guessed. Gilda sighed, taking a slow breath to relax.
"It's true. According to all official documents, we're in the clear. But that is just on the surface. Peace talks are failing, Beasts are joining up tribes, old allies have turned a blind eye and some have even stabbed us in the back. We're against a wall with nothing but a few measly soldiers that haven't got what it takes" Gilda admitted.
"I hear you adopted some little girl. Without you there to help us Dash, she'll die, as will many other innocents" Gilda tossed, Rainbow stiffening. Though she soon started to chuckle. Of course Gilda had information on her life. If Spike and the others could spy on them, why couldn't the rest of the military?
"So, you've been watching me huh? Is that what our military is good for? Since it obviously can't defend the home it's built to keep safe" Rainbow spat as she stood, Gilda jumping to her feet. The Grifanion was easily nearly twice her height, but that wouldn't bring her down.
"Listen to me Gilda, whatever shit thinks it is going to tear through my home has another thing coming. I'm needed here, more than you or any of your damned spies could know. I'd think if they'd had any skill they would know what's been going on around here" Rainbow scoffed
"Dash, I didn't spy, I just..."
"You just what?! Did some research? Picked up some info here and there? Look, I've dealt with more than a few military types lately Gilda and I'll tell you this" Rainbow flared out her wings, buzzing off the ground and staring into Gilda's eyes, her own glowing dimly
"I won't have my strings pulled by you fucks anymore. My life, my family, my everything is here, and I'd sooner die before I abandon any of that. Now get the fuck out of my house" She growled, her wings fading. She turned her back, marching for the door and opening it. Gilda held an argument on the end of her tongue but stopped herself.
She stopped at the door, holding out the folders to Rainbow.
"What?" Rainbow demanded.
"Take em, really read through everything. When you change your mind, I'll be waiting in Celamont" Gilda said softly, waiting until Rainbow snatched the folders away to leave.
"I-Is all of that true Rainbow?" Twilight stammered, causing the Skyborn to tense up.
"T-Twilight?! How long uh..." she chuckled nervously, gasping as the Magian tackle hugged her.
"Rainbow, maybe we should at the very least look into what she has to say" Twilight said softly, causing Rainbow to stare at the Magian in surprise.
"She just wants to scare people with the Sonic Rainboom. It's kind of legendary, only person to ever do it. Ya know, that whole thing. Getting mixed up in Military crap is a terrible idea Twi" Rainbow argued
"But what about being a Wonderbolt?" Twilight asked. Rainbow sighed, rubbing the back of her head.
"Don't you think I have a lot on my plate already?" She smirked, her Element glowing around her neck for a moment. Twilight nodded slowly, putting a hand to her chin.
"At the very least we can bring this up with Princess Celestia, we are the Element's of Harmony after all. It is our duty to maintain Harmony in Terra"
"Yea, against huge threats to everything like God's of Chaos. You don't walk onto a firing range and start shooting ancient magic at people Twi, they use these things called Guns. Might've heard of em, they work really well at KILLING PEOPLE" Rainbow continued to argue, causing Twilight to flinch away.
"H-Hey...Sorry I just..." Rainbow stammered, looking at her hands. She took a shuddering breath as Twilight grabbed her hands.
"I didn't think of any of that Rainbow...I just wanted to help" Twilight explained herself softly
"Y-Yea, I know. And that's the cool thing about you Twi, you always wanna help. But this is somethin we should keep our noses out of. Gilda might've been cool to me back then, but she's a cold military freak"
"Alright, I won't push it. But, if..."
"Yea yea, I guess we could at least mention this to the Princess' and see if its legit" Rainbow caved. Twilight smiled, her smile fading as she turned to look for Spike.
"Right...still haven't gotten used to that" she sighed
"He'll be back Twi', soon as he's done defendin' Shy" Rainbow smirked knowingly
"You're sure?" Vinyl asked, watching the woman leave the library
"Completely. That's one of Discord's Artifacts without a doubt. It's oozing chaos, but you can't tell from far away. I only noticed it because I was right in front of her."
"Well what do we do about it? Do we just take her in?" Vinyl wondered, watching the woman pace around town
"She's a high ranking member of the Royal Air Force. There's laws, yellow tape, paperwork, rights. We can't do anything on a hunch," Spike argued
"Again with the damn hunch, look, she's got a Chaos Artifact around her neck, that's more than enough for some questioning right?" Vinyl growled
"Not even close. She could've been given it as a gift, it could be a family heirloom, any number of things, and just happens to have Discord's Signature on it. There's no telling what his artifacts look like or if they changed appearence or if they manifested in any number of ways like the Elements," Spike explained.
"So, we wait, watch, and do nothing, again?" Vinyl sighed.
"For now. But I'll be looking into a few things in the meanwhile"
"And what do I do? Be a good dog and sit?"
"Atta girl" Spike chuckled before hanging up
"...Oh I'm gonna kill him"
Twilight sighed as she stared at them, covered in cuts and leaves and tree sap.
"Nyx, what happened?" Twilight asked with a sigh. The girl gulped, rubbing her arm and wincing a little
"We fell out of a tree a-and I just acted without thinking" she admitted
"Her an Belle broke our fall. It's my fault Twilight. I thought we could try zip lining cause it seems really cool a-and Nyx was totally against it but I forced her to a-and the rope broke and her and Belle caught us..." Scootaloo stammered quickly. Twilight couldn't help but smile.
"That's very grown up of you Scootaloo. Being able to stand up for your friends instead of shifting blame to someone else. But Nyx...we talked about thinking things through..." Twilight sighed, the girl hanging her head.
Twilight hadn't been too happy to find out Nyx had snuck out the night before, but had only given her a talking to about safety, rambling on into a lecture.
"I-I know Twilight, I'm sorry..." Nyx mumbled, letting out a squeak as Twilight hugged her
"Just...be more careful okay?" Twilight whispered, Nyx slowly returning the hug. Scootaloo chuckled, gulping as Twilight glanced at her.
"Oh, I didn't forget about you Scootaloo. You need to be careful too. Your condition is stable now, but we have no idea when that might change" Twilight warned
"Why not just make another potion?" Scootaloo shrugged. Twilight tensed up and cleared her throat.
"It's not the...simplest thing to make Scootaloo. It takes time, lots of time..." Twilight said softly
"Then how'd you make the first one? Did you just have it layin' around somewhere?" Scootaloo questioned. Twilight was rather happy with the young girls curiosity and the fact that she actually listened to most of her lectures. But this was one topic she did not want to discuss.
"Scootaloo, I..."
"Kid, room, talk, now," Rainbow interrupted from the stairs. Scootaloo groaned, marching alongside Rainbow toward her room.
"Twilight, whats going on?" Nyx asked quietly
"I uh...It's complicated Nyx. But, Scootaloo has a rare illness that took her parents from her. So Rainbow Dash adopted her and I'm working on a cure. I'm...I suppose close isn't really the word, but I've managed to help her be a little better for a short while,"
"With some kind of potion? You said it takes time, would it go faster with help?" Nyx wondered
"NO!" Twilight yelled, regretting it as Nyx took a step back. She let out a sigh, sitting down on her knees and holding out her arms
"I mean...This isn't something you can help me with Nyx. I can't really explain it too well, but it isn't exactly safe. I'm sorry I yelled, forgive me?" she asked, smiling as Nyx hugged her.
Rainbow let out a sigh as she sat on the bed, patting the spot beside her
"We gotta talk Kid"
Scootaloo hopped onto the bed, looking up at Rainbow with a frown
"This isn't about the zip line thing is it? Cause Twilight already..."
"No kid, this isn't about that. Heck, you shoulda told me about the zip line thing, I woulda given you some better rope. No...this is about that potion Twilight made you" Rainbow squeezed her knees, looking at the wall and trying to think of the best way to explain.
"I know that you're excited about feeling better, and about magic, and tons of other stuff Squirt, but you've gotta understand that Twilight put A LOT into that potion" Rainbow began to explain, a shudder slipping into her voice
"She said it takes time to make, but she made that one pretty quick didn't she?" Scootaloo argued. Rainbow chuckled sadly, shaking her head.
"Kid, that potion literally takes time. Twilight took away some of her own time and gave it to you," Rainbow blurted out, the two staring at one another.
"Wait, what? How's that even a thing?" Scootaloo wondered, looking over herself.
Well, cats out of the bag, might as well just freakin' say it Rainbow mumbled to herself. She turned, lifting her leg on the bed and grabbed Scootaloo's shoulders gently
"Scootaloo. Twilight gave up ten years of her life to make you that potion. If she makes more, it could kill her..." Rainbow began, chuckling sadly and shaking her head
"But she won't stop until she knows you're cured."
"She...she really did that...for me?" Scootaloo whispered, tears stinging her eyes. Rainbow nodded, pulling the girl close
"Yea, she did. That's just the kind of person she is Squirt. She'll make another potion, probably a stronger one, but she promised me she'd wait until you needed it" Rainbow smiled as she pulled away
"B-But what if she dies?!" Scootaloo argued
"I said the same thing kid...so uh...I'll be helping with the next potion" Rainbow admitted. Scootaloo jumped to her feet on the bed, shaking her head and clenching her fists
"Y-You can't! You promised me! I can't lose my parents again!" Scootaloo yelled, hiccuping and shaking as tears flowed freely. Rainbow hardly hesitated the pull her into a near bone crushing hug, tears of her own staining her cheeks
"That means a lot to me Scootaloo. You mean a lot to me. I know we haven't been a family long, but we're still a family. And family takes care of each other. I'm helpin' Twi' so that none of that happens to any of us. We'll all figure this out together, okay?" Rainbow sniffed, Scootaloo nodding as she clung to her.
"The supply from Celamont has been stopped"
"Good work" Gilda chuckled
"No, Sir, I mean, it was stopped, almost a week ago. A large shipment was sent but nothing afterwards"
"What? But she can't live without that crap!" Gilda argued
"I-I understand Sir, she must have another source, we'll keep digging!" CLICK.
Gilda growled as she stuffed her phone into her pocket. First Rainbow shut her down, then the rest of her plans began to fall out. What had they missed? What had changed?
"Well hi there!" a perky voice spoke up, Gilda raised an eyebrow as a blur of Pink suddenly came to a halt before her.
"I'm Pinkie Pie! And youuuuu have something pretty interesting on, don't ya miss?" Pinkie asked, tapping her finger against the crystal Gilda wore. She gritted her teeth, grabbing the girls wrist
"Look here bitch, keep your hands to yourself and maybe you won't lose em!" Gilda yelled. Though Pinkie didn't seem to react. All she did was smile
Wait a minute, Pink hair, that smile...
"Hold up, did you say, Pinkie Pie? The baker?" Gilda asked. Pinkie only nodded, her smile never changing.
"Yup, that's me, party planner extraordinaire, and welcomer of new friends. But you aren't the friendly type are you Miss?" Pinkie asked, her smile fading and her eyes becoming dull. Gilda stepped back as her instincts kicked in, blinking and finding the girl was gone.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS TOWN?!"
"And you're sure of this?" Nexus hissed into his phone
"Absolutely. There is no denying it, the ritual was not a complete failure, and what is better, the vessel has been taken in by Magic herself" the other end answered. It was almost too good to be true.
"But she is but an infant in her current state, unaware of her destiny and blinded by the kindness of Magic"
"Keep an eye on them, gather what information you can and prepare a spot for the ritual. We won't fail this time"